Jack smiled at Beth’s mock formality. He’d known her for nearly as long as his own stepsister, and was well aware that she’d been an especially good friend to Ellie while he’d been... otherwise preoccupied.
“Hi Beth. It’s nice to see you. And for god’s sake, call me Jack or I’ll be forced to call you Ms. Bouchard.”
Beth snorted and held her arms out for a hug. Jack responding by leaning down and opening his arms – but when their faces were perfectly lined up, the girl jerked forwards and gave him a kiss right on the lips!
Jack recoiled, purely out of surprise. “Well then... I see you’ve missed me about as much as Ellie has!”
“Oh, it’s been way too long,” she replied with a little giggle. “And you were always my very favorite older guy!” Beth rocked back and forth on her feet, flashing him a playful and quirky smile.
“Careful with that ‘older’ shit, Beth. You’re gonna be twenty in under a year, you know.”
Someone behind Jack cleared their throat. “Hey,” came a deep male voice.
It was Mark, a nineteen-year-old with short medium-brown hair. He was dressed in torn blue jeans and a light brown button-up shirt. Jack had first met Mark on move-in day last August, but hadn’t spent nearly enough time with the guy yet to form an opinion. Although Mark was tall – nearly as tall as Jack himself – he still had the gangly musculature of a developing teenager who hadn’t quite grown into his bones.
While Jack was busy greeting the girls, Mark had thoughtfully moved his luggage into the entryway and closed the apartment door. He now held out his right hand in welcome.
Jack grabbed it and pumped up and down, and then with his other hand gripped the teen on his shoulder. “Nice to see you again, Mark. You remember our little talk last summer?”
“Um, uh huh...”
“Then I trust you’ve been a guardian of my little sister’s virtue?”
“Jack!” shrieked Ellie in embarrassment.
“Ah yes, that... of course,” replied Mark in a somber tone. “Ellie is a beautiful and smart young woman, and I would never let anything happen to her that she didn’t want.”
Tilting his head to the side, Jack analyzed that carefully worded response. It wasn’t quite the blanket statement of total carnal ignorance that he was looking for, but it was probably as good as he could hope to get.
“Okay then,” he finally said, giving Mark’s shoulder a quick squeeze before releasing the teen. Jack’s eyes swept the cramped apartment. Someone was still missing. “So, um, where’s your other roommate, the one I haven’t met, Reb– uh, no... Randy...”
“Rachel,” corrected Ellie with a laugh, as if he’d made some sort of joke. “She’s just on the phone with her sis... which could take hours, so no point waiting.”
“No, wait, here I am!” yelled a voice from down the hall.
Jack turned just as Rachel skidded through one of the bedroom doorways. He’d never met the girl before, but Ellie had mentioned her enough times during their chats to know that she was eighteen, pretty, and a star volleyball player.
That vague description didn’t do the actual girl justice!
Rachel was medium in height and build, similar to Ellie, although certainly fitter and more muscular, with shoulder-length curly brown hair held back in a ponytail. She was wearing low-rise cutoff jean shorts and a tight white cotton T-shirt, the combination simultaneously showing off a bare strip of creamy white midriff, and the entirety of her gorgeously toned legs.
This certainly wasn’t the expected attire for someone living in downtown Chicago in the middle of February, but even more unexpected were Rachel’s breasts – which Ellie had failed to mention altogether. They were impressive: a full D-cup if any letter at all, and somehow keeping in perfect balance with the rest of her curvy, hourglass figure. It was also plainly obvious that Rachel wasn’t wearing a bra, to which the hypnotically bouncing globes beneath her T-shirt could attest.
Jack swallowed hard. Rachel was the exact kind of girl who made the sport of women’s volleyball so appealing to men – and he idly wondered if she had any games scheduled for this week.
Running right up to Jack, Rachel grabbed him in a tight bear hug, the twin mountains of her voluptuous breasts pressing forcefully into his chest. Cautiously, he reciprocated the unusually warm affections by wrapping an arm around her back, inadvertently confirming that there was, in fact, no bra strap or other support beneath her thin shirt.
Rachel lifted her chin and kissed Jack tenderly on the cheek. “Ellie’s told us all so much about you. I feel like I’ve known you for years!”
“I hope she remembered to leave out all my faults,” commented Jack with a twinkle in his eye. Taking in Rachel from up close, he noted that the girl seemed to have an affinity for piercings – with one in her eyebrow, one in the side of her nose, and fleeting glimpses of one in her tongue. He idly wondered if she had any others... or perhaps a few secret tattoos.
“You? Faults? What faults?” countered Ellie with a crooked grin. “Mom keeps telling me how you’re this huge success, Mr. Perfect and everything... the only guy under thirty to ever get a seven-figure bonus in a single year. Imagine that!”
Jack grunted unhappily and looked away from the group. Suddenly being flush with cash was still a new experience for him, and he didn’t like boasting about it in front of total strangers. Or even thinking about it, for that matter, since it only reminded him of how critical Johanna had been in helping him reach that level of success. “Yeah, well, that’ll be the last bonus I ever see if I screw up this week.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” offered Ellie with a dismissive wave of her hand. “And don’t forget, I loved ya even before you were a millionaire! Money doesn’t mean anything to friends or family.”
Rachel giggled. “Mmm, and considering how super cute you are, as your new friend I swear I’d be willing to accept ya even if you took a vow of poverty!”
Jack grinned sheepishly and felt his cheeks blush red.
“Okay you two,” chided Ellie, grabbing their arms. “That’s enough mushy shit. Let’s show my brother what we’ve done with the place since he was last here!”
The five went on a brief tour of claustrophobic and rather unimpressive rental apartment. The floor plan was simple but functional, with a small kitchen and dinette, a narrow rectangular living room, and a long skinny hallway that led into three bedrooms and a cramped bathroom. Every wall in the place had been painted in the same putrid shade of beige that reminded Jack of old, nicotine-stained computer equipment.
Back when Nixon was still president, the apartment would’ve listed as a 2-bedroom unit. But, at some point, a landlord capitalized on the area’s booming market for college rentals – and the general disregard of college students for luxuries such as comfort or living space – by running a wall straight through the middle of the master bedroom, thereby dividing it into two far smaller rooms. The unit couldn’t hold any more tenants than it had before the change, but the additional degree of privacy allowed him to charge more in rent.
As Jack was shown each of the three sparsely furnished bedrooms, he noted with brotherly relief that Ellie and Beth were still sharing what was originally the second bedroom at the end of the hall, while Mark and Rachel each slept alone in a half-master. With an undoubtedly randy teenage boy living in such close proximity to his sister, Jack somehow felt safer knowing that her best friend was sleeping in the same room.
Unless they were... no, better not go there!
As the group returned to where they started, Jack grimly contemplated his future sleeping accommodations.
Compared to the desolate bedrooms, the living room positively overflowed with hand-me-down furniture. Two three-seat cloth couches of different styles sat across from each other, without enough room between for even a skinny coffee table. A large flatscreen television sat on a rickety metal stand in the back right corner, while a wooden desk with a desktop computer occupied most of the outside wall, all b
ut blocking the one and only window.
Jack’s focus returned to the two stained and tattered couches, one of them old and threadbare, the other newer but seemingly harder, with sharp corners and less padding.
Staring blankly at the dismal selection, Jack began to wish that he’d kept on driving to a proper hotel!
“Yeah, I’d probably suggest this one,” offered Mark, pointing to the dark brown couch that looked older. “Trust me, I’ve spent plenty-a night on it, and it’s way more comfortable than it looks. Or... as our guest, I suppose it’d only be right to, uh, offer you my room. If you really wanted.”
Jack grunted. Before touring the apartment, he’d probably have accepted that deal. But after seeing Mark’s messy bedroom with its strong stench of male musk and stale beer – and perhaps even a hint of pot – he preferred to stay out here in the relative open.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m okay. I’m sure you guys like your privacy.”
The four teenagers looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Jack squinted quizzically at the group, growing slightly uneasy with this peculiar reaction. But before he could figure out what was so funny, the obnoxious door buzzer sounded.
“Thank god! Pizza’s here at last!” screeched Rachel, leaping over to reach the intercom.
At the mention of food, Jack’s stomach grumbled loudly enough to announce its intentions to the entire group. Ellie giggled and grabbed her brother’s arm, dragging him into the kitchen to gather plates and drinks.
Once they were alone, she pulled him close and spoke softly.
“Jack, I know you well enough to tell you’re not exactly thrilled to be here. But please, bro, just give ’em a chance, okay? Mark and Rachel really are great once you get to know ’em. And I swear you’re gonna have a whole ton of fun with us this week!”
Jack grunted. Actual fun seemed unlikely. “If you say so, sis. But if my back locks up solid on that lumpy couch and I can’t move a muscle in the morning, then I’ll be expecting you and your friends to carry me to the nearest hospital!”
“Oh, don’t be so silly. But hey, Rachel’s dad’s a chiropractor, and I he taught her a few moves... so maybe tomorrow, if you’re really feeling stiff, she might agree to give you an adjustment!”
Jack gulped. “That, um... that might not be so horrible.”
Chuckling softly, Ellie carried the stack of plates out into the living room.
Chapter Three
Jack, Mark, and the three girls lounged together on the two couches, munching on gooey slices of amazing deep-dish pizza and chatting away. They talked about college and the experience of living away from home for the first time, with Jack occasionally interjecting anecdotes from his own years spent attending the same institution.
Soon enough, the conversation shifted to Jack’s work and the reason for his visit.
“So, Jack, what exactly is it you do?” asked Rachel with a string of cheese hanging from her chin.
Jack wiped tomato sauce from around his own mouth with a napkin. “Well, Rachel, I’m in marketing, and I develop advertising strategies. So... I help companies come up with marketable identities for themselves or their products.”
“Uh-huh. Do try to remember I’m an athlete, so... what does that shit mean?”
“Mmm, well...” Jack always had trouble explaining his job eloquently to laymen. “Well, I guess it means I try to make it so when you think of a particular type of product, it’s my guy’s brand that springs to mind first. For example, other than a company name, what’s the first thing that you think of for... oh, I don’t know... how about insurance?”
“Kill me now?” muttered Ellie under her breath.
After a few chuckles, the room fell silent.
Suddenly Rachel jumped and exclaimed, “Oh, I know! How about that talking lizard thingy?”
Mark snorted derisively. “That’s a gecko, you doof.”
“Shush, you,” she scolded.
Jack smiled at their shotgun exchange. “Okay, yeah, the talking gecko mascot – something unique and visually recognizable for Geico. Now, maybe something closer to home, how about the same idea for running shoes?”
“Just do it!” blurted Rachel immediately.
“Words to live by,” quipped Mark.
“Right, a slogan... catchy and easy to remember. I’ll bet you even pictured the swoosh logo before you thought of the Nike name. And that’s basically what I do: I try to come up with unique and entertaining memory triggers, so even if you aren’t interested in buying something when you see an ad for it, your brain files away a specific trigger for when you are interested. It’s all about recognition.”
Ellie leaned forwards with a mock evil grin on her face. “I’ll bet y’all never knew you were being brainwashed into buying all that overpriced shit, huh?”
Beth sighed. “I always wondered why I just had to stand in line for six hours to get that new phone last fall. Ignorance is bliss... or was, I guess. What kinda dastardly things are you working on right now?”
“It’s still secret so I really can’t say too much, Beth, but it’s for a new electronics company with a hot product and a shockingly huge advertising budget. Let’s just say their goal is to be at the top of every teen’s Christmas shopping list next winter, and if all goes well this week... I’ll be heading up the team that makes sure that happens.”
“Damn... now I want one, and I don’t even know what the heck it is!”
Rachel interjected. “Have you worked on anything we’d recognize? Was it you that came up with that lizard thingy?”
Jack rolled his eyes. Maybe in his nightmares! “No, I didn’t do that... just how old do you think I am? Anyways, my biggest hits have actually been overseas, but you’d probably still recognize a few of mine.”
“Then tell us some!”
“I think it’d be better if you try to guess – consider yourselves unpaid market research!”
Beth, Rachel and Mark threw out random ideas for the next few minutes, Jack hinting and pushing them in the right directions. Already knowing most of the answers Ellie remained silent, watching and laughing as the group hit upon quite a few of Jack’s more famous successes, and a few abysmal failures that everyone involved would rather forget.
By the time the dishes were washed and put away, Jack was feeling much more at ease with the people Ellie had chosen to live with. They really were a friendly bunch!
Eventually the girls began excusing themselves for their allotted turn in the apartment’s one and only bathroom, with Jack opting to let everyone else go first. He planned to spend the next hour working on his laptop anyways, reviewing and tweaking the presentation he’d prepared for tomorrow morning.
He still wasn’t particularly happy with what he had to offer his bosses... but it was the best he’d been able to come up with, and it was way too late to start over.
About ten minutes after the last bedroom door closed for the night, Jack shut his laptop, gathered his pajamas and toiletries, and made his way down the dimly lit hallway. Twisting the bathroom doorknob, he found it inexplicably locked and rattled the handle a few times.
“Occupado!” came Rachel’s muffled voice from behind the door.
Jack was certain everyone had already finished in the bathroom... but obviously he was wrong.
Leaning against the beige plaster wall while he waited for Rachel to finish, Jack noticed that Ellie and Beth’s bedroom door at the end of the hall was open a crack, allowing a narrow beam of white light to spill out through the half-inch gap. He could hear the sounds of girlish giggling coming from inside the room and, purely out of curiosity, stepped closer to peek inside.
Spotting his stepsister sitting cross-legged on the edge of her bed in pink flannel pajamas, Jack smiled. For some reason she’d always had a fondness for fuzzy flannel. It looked like she was chatting quietly with Beth, who was on the other side of the room and out of Jack’s limited field of view.
“I don’
t know El, this doesn’t really do it for me,” came Beth’s disembodied voice.
“Yeah, but would it do it for a guy?” countered Ellie. “You know they don’t think the same way as us. Come over here for a sec, and let me check something.”
Beth stepped into view, and Jack’s breath caught in his throat. The petite redhead was dressed in the skimpiest pair of dark blue panties... and absolutely nothing else!
Although Beth was facing away from the door and Jack could only see the side of one of her small but perky breasts, it was the combination of her astoundingly tiny waist, the slight flare of her narrow hips, and the sexy curves of her chubby little bum that pleased his critical male eye. Jack had seen Beth in skimpy pool attire many times years ago, but had never before noticed what a gorgeous and sexy young woman she’d grown up to be!
Stepbrother With Benefits Page 2